I really wanted the iPad Mini to have a retina display and to be priced better, and i was going to pass my original iPad to my wife. I was prepared to get the WiFi only version and set my iPhone up for tethering.

But I can't see spending over $200 more than a similarly equipped Nexus 7 (assuming the 32 GB/$250 variant rumors are true), especially when the Nexus has a better screen.

THe discussion on why Apple Apps look so much nicer and standardized than Windows apps is at least partially explained in the following article... Basically Windows is still dealing with Legacy DOS code/APIs so it's up to Windows developers in a lot of cases to write how each app functions while Apple has standardized a lot of the look and feel into their UI APIs (It was a good article and at least kept my interest.)

The iPad Mini shows Apple's strategy of having a clear division between tablets and phones. The iPads are 8 inches and 10 inches. These are clearly not phones. The iPhone is 4 inches. That is clearly not a tablet (as it is usually understood).

By contrast the Android OEMS are focusing on products that are in between what used to be the size of a cell phone and what used to be considered a tablet. So, we see 5 inch Android phones and 7 inch Android tablets. That is the market that Apple will not enter. - But 5 to 7 inch cheap devices are going to be the road to Android's eventual success. Not only with smartphone dominance as we see today but also with Android tablets which will continue to increase marketshare.

I don't really see the niche the mini fills between the iPad and the iPod touch, especially when they are still selling previous gen iPads at lower price points. The iPad 2 is just 70$ more than the mini... I can't help but think this is a subtle push to get people to choose the older, cheaper iPads.

I'm failing to see the pricing model. Uses date hardware (iP2) and its more expensive than all other tablets in the same spec market. I thought about buying a 7" tablet for my week long trip in December, but this is just nuts at $329 starting price. My upper limit would have been $249 for an miniaturized Apple tablet, maybe #300 if using same iP3 technology, but Apple thinks its for education and the almighty PO (Purchase Order).

Thank you, Apple, for making my decision to buy a much cheaper solution. BTW, my household already owns an original iPad and an iPad3, but I cannot justify +$300 on something that may get lost or stolen on the trip. I'll just buy a Nexus7 or take the oldest iPad I have.

I like the moniker you guys came up with for the standard iPad much more than Apple's. If they insist that people no longer call them the iPad 3, iPad 4, etc., then I fully support using the name "iPad Jumbo" instead of "the new iPad" henceforth!

It looks like it can fit in an jacket pocket, be read on a crowded subway, and standing in lines and waiting areas in the same way that the smaller eInk Kindles can and the full sized tablets can't. The mini is a commuters tablet.

I'm failing to see the pricing model. Uses date hardware (iP2) and its more expensive than all other tablets in the same spec market. I thought about buying a 7" tablet for my week long trip in December, but this is just nuts at $329 starting price...

I'll just buy a Nexus7 or take the oldest iPad I have.

Apple is not going to sell a product for no profit as we see with the Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire.

Frankly, I thought that the cheapest iPad mini would cost $350. $329 is probably as low as Apple could go while still making enough money for their business model.

I'm failing to see the pricing model. Uses date hardware (iP2) and its more expensive than all other tablets in the same spec market. I thought about buying a 7" tablet for my week long trip in December, but this is just nuts at $329 starting price...

I'll just buy a Nexus7 or take the oldest iPad I have.

Apple is not going to sell a product for no profit as we see with the Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire.

Frankly, I thought that the cheapest iPad mini would cost $350. $329 is probably as low as Apple could go while still making enough money for their business model.

And I really don't get the excitement about such relatively little differences. Almost all products on the market have much wider price ranges than tablets. Go and buy a pair of shoes and look at the prices. Or clothing. Or furniture. Or wine.

If someone buys a pair of shoes for $100 and someone else yells at him "You can do nothing but walk in this overpriced things and I can also walk in my $70 shoes, so why do you spend more, you clueless idiot?" a simple "I just happen to like those shoes better, so piss off and care for your own bloody business!" usually says all that is to say.

I'm really wondering if those people pointing at the $199 of the Nexus and the $329 of the iPad also buy their wine by alcohol content by dollars. "This wine costs 30% less and has even 1% more alcohol, so I'd need to be a brainwashed fanboi to buy the more expensive one"... Or what?

I really don't know if those people just treat "computers" as something totally different from other products for some strange reason or if they really act the same way towards all products. But there is some genuine madness going on here in any case.

Cesar Torres / Cesar is the Social Editor at Ars Technica. His areas of expertise are in online communities, human-computer interaction, usability, and e-reader technology. Cesar lives in New York City.